2010-03-13T07:07:34Z http://andrewjacksondem.com/atom.aspx Quick Blogcast tag:andrewjacksondem.com,2010-03-02:3c34c2fb-8bdc-4519-8367-446c82f381fd CarolinaCentrist 2010-03-02T12:39:00Z 2010-03-02T12:39:00Z With Sen. David Hoyle finally out of the picture, Republicans were expecting to easily take the open Senate seat in Gaston County. For years, GOP leaders have coveted the seat, chafed that Hoyle, a Democrat, has held on to a solid Republican district through his ties to the community and the thickness of his campaign checkbook. So when Hoyle announced last fall that he wouldn't run, Republicans stood closer than they have in two decades to victory. Then the infighting started. GOP leaders now face a primary with four candidates. Two arrive at the race with ... tag:andrewjacksondem.com,2010-03-02:18358147-1397-4676-acd9-972c725b97e7 CarolinaCentrist 2010-03-02T12:31:00Z 2010-03-02T12:31:00Z Republican candidates have come out in droves this year, setting up crowded congressional primaries, competing for every state Senate seat and challenging incumbents in what are generally considered safe Democratic districts. "Republicans are galvanized and they sense a historic opportunity," said N.C. GOP chairman Tim Fetzer. Friday's final day of filing saw a spike in candidates from both major parties. Many face a 66-day sprint to the May 4 primary. In a state long controlled by Democrats, Republicans are flexing their muscles. They're contesting all 50 state Senate seats for the first time ever, and the ... tag:andrewjacksondem.com,2010-03-01:eac59115-2fbb-4860-903c-ace2e3829ad7 CarolinaCentrist 2010-03-01T13:09:00Z 2010-03-01T13:09:00Z The Kenneth Lewis campaign for Senate sent out a press release today accusing of us writing biased commentary against his campaign because we did a poll for Elaine Marshall more than three months ago and because my boss made a contribution to Cal Cunningham. This is about the millionth time we've been accused of bias for something or other in our history, it's just as baseless as all the other accusations, and I think our track record backs that up.They specifically cited this post I wrote yesterday where I said I thought Cunningham and Marshall would break away from the ... tag:andrewjacksondem.com,2010-03-01:1ce289aa-f4dc-4737-b4c9-89f2c486a4ea CarolinaCentrist 2010-03-01T13:06:00Z 2010-03-01T13:06:00Z GREENSBORO — A lawsuit between seven hydroelectric plants and the Piedmont Triad Regional Water Authority could help clarify North Carolina law for generations to come. Experts say North Carolina is open to such conflicts because its water laws are relatively unrefined, with gaps between rules governing private use of streams for profit and those controlling public reservoirs, known as impoundments in legal jargon. “Compared to a lot of states, we haven’t had that much conflict between competing water uses over the years,” said Bill Holman, former secretary of the N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources. “I don’t ... tag:andrewjacksondem.com,2010-03-01:829a6281-1f14-481a-96a0-6a4b70f01887 CarolinaCentrist 2010-03-01T13:02:00Z 2010-03-01T13:02:00Z At The Jacksonian, we pride ourselves at covering politics in a non-partisan manner. Today we expand on this coverage by including events for our right-leaning friends. If you have an event in North Carolina to add to our calendar, please email it to us at andrewjacksondem@gmail.com

At The Jacksonian, we pride ourselves at covering politics in a non-partisan manner. Today we expand on this coverage by including events for our right-leaning friends. If you have an event in North Carolina to add to our calendar, please email it to us at andrewjacksondem@gmail.com

tag:andrewjacksondem.com,2010-03-01:4504f736-f55a-404c-a742-8c450198bf77 CarolinaCentrist 2010-03-01T12:50:00Z 2010-03-01T12:50:00Z This week's calendar of political and community events from the left side of the spectrum. The weather appears to want to stay cold so plan on attending an event near you where it promises to be warm inside!

This week's calendar of political and community events from the left side of the spectrum. The weather appears to want to stay cold so plan on attending an event near you where it promises to be warm inside!

tag:andrewjacksondem.com,2010-01-25:b2ffcf77-236a-47cd-85ca-6d71c0e19277 CarolinaCentrist 2010-01-25T13:04:00Z 2010-01-25T13:04:00Z We need to put people back to work. To work, you need a job. To have a job, you need a business. A small business, in particular. Small businesses need money to start up or stay in business. We all know this, of course. But what to do about it? Would-be small business owners face heavy start up costs, if not going into personal savings accounts, taking on debt that is harder to get from tight-fisted banks, to get the capital they need to start the venture ... tag:andrewjacksondem.com,2010-01-25:4a1a4658-59de-44c6-8788-db4dd9a37c70 CarolinaCentrist 2010-01-25T13:00:00Z 2010-01-25T13:00:00Z This week's calendar is filled with a number of opportunities to meet and greet candidates and public office holders throughout the Triangle. Check out the events and mark your calendars to attend!

This week's calendar is filled with a number of opportunities to meet and greet candidates and public office holders throughout the Triangle. Check out the events and mark your calendars to attend!

tag:andrewjacksondem.com,2010-01-21:5d3ea295-a939-4904-a213-d149af8902ef CarolinaCentrist 2010-01-21T23:47:00Z 2010-01-21T23:47:00Z RALEIGH – A federal grand jury has indicted former Gov. Mike Easley aide Ruffin Poole with 51 counts of corruption. The indictment accuses Poole of fraud, bribery and money laundering, along with other charges. Poole, who was responsible for gathering campaign donations for Easley, refused to testify about possible campaign violations in October, claiming attorney-client privilege. He was eventually forced to testify in December, but invoked his Fifth Amendment rights.Source: News 14 CarolinaDOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE INDICTMENT http://content.news14.com/Poole_indictment.pdfI guess for former Governor Mike Easley, the only good thing about this indictment being handed down today ... tag:andrewjacksondem.com,2010-01-20:7d7a44fc-be36-434a-91b2-6e33fbdad995 CarolinaCentrist 2010-01-20T12:16:00Z 2010-01-20T12:16:00Z Barack Obama has occupied the White House for exactly one year today and who could have imagined in that short time that the President would be greeted with such anniversary gifts as a Republican win in Massachusetts and an approval rating below 50 percent. The Obama Administration and Democrats on The Hill have lost control of the political agenda and have junkies across the country wondering, "What is Going On?"During the past year, Democrats have repeatedly tried to blame the problems facing the country as carryover inherited from President George W. Bush. Fair or not, the American people ... tag:andrewjacksondem.com,2010-01-19:9c3e14ab-059b-4203-aeee-e23873c7975b CarolinaCentrist 2010-01-19T12:29:00Z 2010-01-19T12:29:00Z In Eastern North Carolina, pig manure is serious business. Hogs outnumber people 3-to-1, and long-standing controversies about the environmental impact continue. Now, a UNC-Chapel Hill associate professor has come up with a way to eliminate the noxious odor and recycle the waste into fuel alcohol and gases that can be used to make electricity. The technology still is not cost-effective, but as the U.S. focuses on alternative sources of energy and utilities face requirements to tap renewable resources, the manure produced by 9 million pigs annually is looking, well, more attractive. Source: The Raleigh News & ObserverInteresting! ... tag:andrewjacksondem.com,2010-01-19:c8620b72-7caa-4b2d-8d62-dc85b3a4dcfe CarolinaCentrist 2010-01-19T12:08:00Z 2010-01-19T12:08:00Z GREENSBORO — Teachers could see major changes in how they are paid if North Carolina wins its bid for nearly $470 million from Washington. Gov. Bev Perdue submitted the state’s application for a Race to the Top grant. Race to the Top is a program included in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and will provide states with a four-year grant to fund major education reform efforts. Perdue’s plan focuses on improvement in two areas: developing qualified teachers and leadership, and improving low-performing schools and districts.Source: The Greensboro News & RecordI am encouraged that Governor Perdue is seeking ... tag:andrewjacksondem.com,2010-01-19:5b635b3c-0370-4034-881a-81d0cd298ceb CarolinaCentrist 2010-01-19T12:04:00Z 2010-01-19T12:04:00Z A Greenville senator is proposing legislation that would require the South Carolina Employment Security Commission to test workers for drugs before they receive unemployment benefits. Senator David Thomas says most companies require drug testing. According to his proposal, if a worker tests positive for illegal drugs their benefits would be cut off, and would not be restored until the applicant completed a treatment program. The applicant would then receive random testing, and testing positive would result in benefits being stopped until more treatment is completed. Failing another random test following that would stop benefits for a year. Thomas ... tag:andrewjacksondem.com,2010-01-19:90dfad4c-0b09-4654-9128-b46a4818f39f CarolinaCentrist 2010-01-19T11:55:00Z 2010-01-19T11:55:00Z As S.C. Attorney General Henry McMaster readily acknowledged, he and three other Republican candidates for governor generally agree on the issues."We're all conservative and sing roughly the same song," he said Monday at an Aiken Republican Club meeting, where he was joined by the other candidates, U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett, Lt. Gov. Andre Bauer and S.C. Rep. Nikki Haley. Each outlined what separates them as gubernatorial hopefuls who want to succeed Gov. Mark Sanford.Source: The Aiken Standard ... tag:andrewjacksondem.com,2010-01-19:0d5e06ed-da23-4a53-a912-bdfd56e302a0 CarolinaCentrist 2010-01-19T11:48:00Z 2010-01-19T11:48:00Z COLUMBIA -- The NAACP will make a stronger push to remove the Confederate flag from the grounds of the South Carolina State House, the president of the civil rights organization said Monday.Benjamin Jealous wouldn't go into details but said by the summer the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People would bring more publicity to its economic boycott of South Carolina. The campaign calls for blacks to not vacation in the state and spend as little money as they can within its borders. Jealous was in South Carolina to speak at a rally by the ... tag:andrewjacksondem.com,2010-01-18:4a9d3b71-9b1a-4aef-9acb-f1ad50fdfa3c CarolinaCentrist 2010-01-18T17:04:00Z 2010-01-18T17:04:00Z The state Senate kicked off a new session last week by taking up an old fight.AC = --> Senators spent the first three days of the session arguing over legislation that is either vitally important or totally meaningless, depending on who is doing the talking. The issue is a resolution affirming South Carolina's rights under the ninth and 10th amendments. It also targets federal health care legislation by saying state residents are not subject to any law that: u Interferes with the right of a person to choose their health ... tag:andrewjacksondem.com,2010-01-18:895493e9-8b86-4e97-99a6-b976b058ad1b CarolinaCentrist 2010-01-18T16:54:00Z 2010-01-18T16:54:00Z According to a report published in “Education Week” magazine, South Carolina is tops in the nation in its efforts to improve teaching. The report by Quality Counts 2010 released Thursday indicates that the state earned “A’s” in the categories of academic standards, school accountability and teacher support in the national report card. Overall the state scored a B-minus grade with a score of 80, which is higher than the national average score of 76, a “C.” Critics of the the state’s public school system’s effectiveness point out that the report also shows that the state received a “D” for student ... tag:andrewjacksondem.com,2010-01-18:495c56b6-32c8-4b61-a0e6-522893aa05c2 CarolinaCentrist 2010-01-18T16:51:00Z 2010-01-18T16:51:00Z The filing period has not yet been set for Charleston County Council candidates, but with two council members having announced they will not seek re-election this year, three people already have declared that they will run. Five of the nine County Council seats will be on the ballot in November; Dist. 1 (Joe McKeown), Dist. 2 (Dickie Schweers), Dist. 5 (Teddie Pryor), Dist. 8 (Curtis Inabinett), and Dist. 9 (Paul Thurmond). Inabinett and Thurmond have announced they will not seek re-election. Source: The Charleston Post & Courier ... tag:andrewjacksondem.com,2010-01-17:20661789-2a5d-4170-a6af-d6400d9e8dd5 CarolinaCentrist 2010-01-17T22:51:00Z 2010-01-17T22:51:00Z Without two eyes, writes Huston Smith, author of “The World’s Religions,” there is “no awareness of space’s third dimension.” Until sight converges from more than one angle, the world looks as flat as a postcard. The rewards of having two eyes are practical, Smith continues: “They keep us from bumping into chairs and enable us to judge the speed of approaching cars.” But the final reward is the “deepened view of the world itself—“the panoramas that unroll before us, the vistas that extend from our feet. It is the same with how we ... tag:andrewjacksondem.com,2010-01-16:af9eeeb6-52d6-4468-b5c7-4d1f7e3d0912 CarolinaCentrist 2010-01-16T14:49:00Z 2010-01-16T14:49:00Z Since leaving Congress in 1996, former Rep. Glen Browder, D-Ala., has struggled to make sense of his nearly eight years on Capitol Hill. He failed to fit easily with party leaders and their machinations, had no memorable legislative achievements, and eventually lost, 62-38 percent, to a little-known trial lawyer in the Democratic primary for an open Senate seat. As he returned to teach political science at a home-state university, Browder concluded that what most defined his public service -- including six prior years in state government -- was his work to promote racial integration following the civil rights protests ...